What can I eat when I’m on a detox diet?

When on a detox diet you can eat organic fruits, vegetables, hormone free chicken, fish and use any herbs. To start keep a food journal and see how many packaged and processed foods you eat. Try to find cleaner alternatives. For example, replace pasta with spaghetti squash.

Organic brown rice: Rinse the rice first. Bring to a boil 2 to 2 1/4 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. Add the rice, turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes. Do not stir while cooking. Herbs, spices and cooked onions can be added during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time.

Vegetables (preferably organic): All kinds of whole vegetables can be eaten on this diet (except for corn and mushrooms, which often cause sensitivity and are highly allergenic). Make sure to wash them very well. They can be eaten raw, steamed or baked. Combine them with rice if you wish. Don't eat any frozen, canned or jarred vegetables. Onions are especially good for cleansing and are very sweet and tasty when steamed. Try a plate full with some fresh garlic.

Fruits (preferably organic): All kinds of whole fruits can be eaten (except for bananas, oranges and dried fruit). Make sure to wash them very well. Eat fruit raw. Eat fruit by itself, either one hour before or two hours after a meal. It is best to consume only organic produce whenever possible. Try to buy in season and locally grown fruits and vegetables, and wash them thoroughly before eating.

Juicing: The best is fresh pressed vegetable and fruit juice from a juicer, or otherwise juices with no additives, sugar or chemicals, and little or no salt (a good variety are found in health food stores).

Condiments: Olive oil, lemon, pure herbs and spices that contain no salt or monosodium glutamate (MSG), and flaxseed oil (which must be refrigerated, never heated and used within three weeks of opening it). Spice it up with cayenne pepper and a non-salt herbal seasoning (such as Vegit), lots of ginger and garlic powder.

Beverages: Filtered, distilled or reverse osmosis water. Herbal teas, such as chamomile, mint, lemon. Vegetable and fruit juices, preferably freshly made. If you can't make them fresh, make sure they contain nothing other than 100 per cent juice - read your labels. Dilute juices half and half with water. Drink liquids half an hour before eating or one hour after.

On a detox diet, you can eat all kinds of vegetables, chicken, cold-water fish, some fruit, coconut oil/water, and nuts and seeds. In this video, cardiologist Alejandro Junger, MD, describes his diet plan and how it doesn't rely on deprivation.

Do detox diets really work? On The Truth About Food, researchers created their own version of a detox diet, which incorporated common principles of the most popular detox diets. Then, it was time to put it to the test. At a country retreat, 10 women who say they party often -- and pay the price -- were divided into two groups. The first group was put on a detox program. To help researchers scientifically compare the results, the other group ate a normal diet.

Before the trial began, the urine and saliva of all of the women were tested to determine their levels of toxins. Another sample would be analyzed at the end of the week to see if the diet helped to flush the impurities from their systems.

Each day, the detox group followed a rigorous diet, starting the day with fresh vegetable juice with ingredients such as spinach, garlic and onions. Over the course of the week, this group drank beet root shakes and ate seaweed salad.

Meanwhile, the control group ate a hearty balanced diet of pasta, red meat, wine, coffee, chocolate and potato chips. At the end of the test, the women dropped off the last 24 hours' worth of urine and saliva for analysis.

The detox diet group didn't seem to be enjoying their food -- was the sacrifice worth it? "It had no impact at all," Dr. Oz, Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, says. "I was surprised by this, because I really thought we'd see more of an effect."

Dr. Oz says the women involved in the experiment were generally healthy, even though they drank a bit more than they should and might not have been taking ideal care of themselves. "But what we did find was that the liver was doing the same things. You had the same kinds of toxicities," he says. "Because toxins that we get into our body go to our fatty tissues. They go to places like the liver and the brain. It takes more than 10 days to get them out."

Even though detox diets can't cleanse the body of toxins in such a short amount of time, Dr. Oz says these diets can be useful as a jump-start to healthier eating. "Now that you've moved to a whole new place in what you tolerate and expect in life, it's easier to go from there," he says.

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

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